As we got closer to the city walls of Avrion, I unsummoned Noir and put her away. The wall was far too high for her to scale. On the way out, we could leap from building to building, so there wasn't much height difference.
Although it was late, Avrion was a city had many merchants and cargo coming in and out of the city throughout the day. All I needed to do was wait for one of these people. As the gate opened, it was easy for me to sneak past the guards and enter.
I then went straight back to the academy and back to my room, slipping into my bed not making a sound.
The next morning, the others had noticed I had come back in the middle of the night. I often did what I wanted to so the others didn't question me. What they were surprised about were the two gauntlets I had brought back with me.
"When did you get these?" Gary asked.
"The old man gave them to me since I'm his only student. He wants me to do well in the upcoming tournament."
"Maybe I joined the wrong club" Gary muttered.
I could see some sadness in the eyes of Gary, Monk and Ian. They didn't come from wealthy families, so they didn't have any beast gear unlike Sylvia, Martha and Dan who came from affluent families and received support.
"Maybe you guys will be able to get something in the next hunt" I said.
Everyone seemed to cheer up a bit after that. The hunt was tomorrow and we were heading back to the forest. If I used my dragon eyes skills, perhaps I could lead them to an area where intermediate beast lived.
With that, it was now our rest day. The others decided to go play games or eat at a restaurant. I wanted to head to the blacksmith. I was hoping to get the fanged boar crystal changed into a chest piece. I know I had more than enough crystals to pay for it.
I went to the blacksmith area that was located inside the academy. As I entered the shop, the same scrawny man with glasses was standing at the counter.
"Hi there. Would you be able to tell me what this can be used for?" I handed him the white bear crystal. The man pulled out his circular lamp-like object and began to observe it.
"The Voli Bear crystal, this is an intermediate class," As the man said that, he looked at me up and down. "These bears are known for their tough defence. It can be used to turn into a shield."
The man then put his device away and started to stare at me.
"Are you going to actually buy anything or just going to get me to do free work?"
A shield was no use to me. I mainly used swords or my bare hands. I could trade the crystal to have work done on the fanged boar crystal but felt like that would be a waste. I then pulled out ten basic tier crystals and laid them out on the counter.
"Would you be able to turn this into the chest piece? You said you could last time." I was currently holding the fanged boar crystal in my hand.
The man looked and counted the ten crystals,
"You need another ten."
I looked at the man confused.
"You said last time that a basic crystal is worth a 100, and it would cost a 1000 to get the work done."
The man scoffed at me.
"Well the price has changed…you can take it or leave it."
The prices were set at student prices meaning the school didn't earn anything from it. The prices the man was currently charging were the same as if I was to go to a blacksmith outside of the academy. At this point, my blood was boiling. I wanted to punch the man and shove a crystal down his throat.
"Can I ask why has the price changed, or should I just report you?"
"Clearly someone like you wouldn't be able to get these crystals. They're stolen. The extra charge is for my silence."
This wasn't good. If the man did indeed tell the master knights, then they might question me on how I got the crystals in the first place. Even if they weren't stolen..how could I explain myself?
"Fine."
I then took out another ten basic crystals. The man was silenced, He stood still not knowing what to do.
"Here." I chucked the fanged boar crystal over to him. "Just do a good job."
The man then quickly gathered the crystals and went to the back of his room. The sound of metal clashing against each other could be heard. Heat was starting to emit from the room. While I waited for my chest piece to be done, the doorbell chimed signalling someone else had entered the shop.
"Oh, hi Ray what are you doing here?"
It was Sylvia. It turns out she was here looking for new equipment for the hunt tomorrow. I then told her what had happened between me and the man and she was furious.
"How could he do that? We're all students of the academy."
Slyvia then went storming behind the counter and into the room where the man was working. A few yells were heard between the two. When she finally got back out from the room, she had ten basic crystals in her hand.
"Here I got them back for you." She said smiling.
"Thank you" I graciously accepted the crystals back. Then a thought came to my mind. "Why don't you take this?" I handed Sylvia the Voli Bear crystal. "I don't need it. Think of it as a thank you for getting the crystals back."
Slyvia blushed
"I can't take this. This is worth a lot more than just ten crystals."
"Please, I really have no use for it."
After a while of back and forth, Sylvia eventually gave in and took the crystal. After a while of waiting, the chest piece was finally done.
The man came out holding a dark brown chest piece. It was plated with black metal and sets of fur between the cracks and openings. As I took the piece from the man, he bowed down and said,
"I'm sorry about everything sir. I didn't realise you were friends with the Heart family."
I looked over at Sylvia and she just smiled back at me.
With the armour piece now in my hands, I would be ready for anything tomorrow.